Automatic cop-changing mechanism with oscillating loader magazine for looms



i 1929- -J. LAFORET AUTOMATIC COP CHANGING MECHANISM WITH OSCILLATING LOADER MAGAZINES FOR LOOMS Filed Oct. 13, 1927 Patented Apr. 9, 1929..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN LAFORET, or LrLLn, FRANCE.

Application filed October 13, 1927, Serial No. 225,993, and in France October 19, 1926.

tion during the period represented by a quarter oi? a turn of tor-ward stroke of the slay and of thus etlecting the replacement of the exhausted cop by a full one in a gradual, '5 gentle and certain manner. By means of these improvements, which together form an improved loader-controlling device in combination with the type of oscillating loader magazine for which it is designed, an automatic vertical cop-changing apparatus is obtained which simple and robust in construction, is certain and easy in operation and adjustment, is low in cost oi manufacture and mounting and presents, in addition, the great advantage of being easy to adapt for use upon the greater proportion of en ling looms, both on looms with a horizontal pic *ing motion and looms with a vertical picking motion since this adaptation necessitates no other alteration than the production of an aperture in the shuttle-box tor the passage of the exhausted cop expelled vertically.

(the control device obtained from the 1mtion of a constructional detail relating to the control of the correct-setting of the shuttie in its box necessitated by certain loom arrangements. i

in Figure 1 and with reference to the es cillating magazine proper of known type, i. s the body of the loom, 2 a vertical support mounted upon. the breast beam 3--1- the oscillating copunagazzine with sharp bend through about 90 at its lower part at a loader in such a way to obtain its opera.

provements forming the subject oi" the pres so as to come abovcthe shuttle-box until its end abuts against the rear face of the slay 5 when the latter approaches the middle point of its forward stroke, this magazine being for this purpose pivotally mounted upon a horizontal rod 6 secured upon a horizontal arm 7 of the support 2 so that it can be swung towards the slay and returned by the latter. i

8 is a lever keyed upon the operating bar 9 running along the length of the breast beam and oscillated under the action of the weft stop motion or at the feeler, as is well known, this lever 8 causing the changing mechanism to come into operation in the manner indicated hereinafter.

10 is the loader block sliding along the lateral face of theverticaloscillating magazine 1 with its return springs 11 and the stop members 12 limiting the travel of the said block 10.

13 is a lateral extension of the loader block 10 at the end. of which is mounted the loader shoe 141 which is either fixed or pivotslly mounted; in the latter case, the stops 15 limit its oscillation so as to make it possib e to set the said shoe always in a common plane passing through the superposed cops 16 to be loaded and those 17 to be expelled, the automatic setting being obtained in an adjustable manner by means of a balancing spring 18. The point of adjustment to a support 1.9 rigid with the magazine 1 can be varied on account of holes 20 in one of which can be'hooked the said spring, the other end oi. which is secured to the said shoe.

21 are the copseparating points and 22 theblade connecting the magazine to the slay by the effect of its Jenetration into a hook 23 rigid with the slay at the moment of loading.

2 lis a picker-guide rod of looms with a horizontal pick and 25 the arm controlling the entry of the shuttle in the correctposition into its box.

3y means of the improvements made in the arrangement of the control of the changing of cops in the vertical loader magazine.

of the known type, the main parts of which have been described, above, the control of the rearward movement of the oscillating magazine 1 towards the slay is no longer dependent uponlevers, cams and pulling hooks controlling the loader; it is more simply obtained by means of a tension 5- by means of a flexible COlYtlOlll I in ents" the control of the "actual z-ontal terminating at its base spring 26 secured beyond the oscillating rod 6 and acting upon the magazine in order to make it swing towards the slay as soon as the said magazine is no longer hooked or locked in the position of rest parallel to its l. vertical support 2 by means of a locking bolt 27 formed by the end of a bell crank lever 28 pivoted at 29, the oscillation which, either for-returning and holding-the magazine 1 against; its support 2 or for releasing 'it, is Controlled by the oscillation 01" the arm 8 of the operating bar 9 of the w: t

stop motion by any intermediate members,

for example by means of a link or p eferably Av U of the, Bowden'itype," an ad absorbing pad 31 being provided upon the suppo'rt2. I I

Again, according to the said improvezine is no longer obtained by means or e o? a lev pulling hook operating by men and a cam keyed upon'the camshaft of tl loom butsimply by the forward itself of the slay, tl e eLlTect of v it nossible'jto bieneiit'fr 1n the adv VL V I I l'lns method oi conlrol in combiner-r v otachangnrg mer-l obtain it gentle, gradual arot tne cop. V

Forthis purpose, th s mechanism modified with a view to its use in oscillating loan mogazin'es ofthe type men 'oned abover essentially composed oi a reciting lo two arms forming a- U with elasti too all connection the lower branch of which pushed back by the slay approaching the middle point or its forward stroke CZ-XHSQ" the advance of the upper-branch which acts upon-the loader. f

This rocking lever is characterizedby its construction and comprises oscillatebly mounted upon*a"horizontal pivot 1A0- .wit-h the'breast'beam; a branch 83 bent hori'-' I in a sleeveor socket 34l slipped with easyti 'on over the 7 pivot- 32 and at its upper end in an inegi e 01' bevel'35- adapted to act upon a rollerltl secured "upon the lateral face of the load :7 ble 1; '10 sliding along the oscillating mu csl'nragazine 4Q I l i Uponthe sleeve 3 l is slipped with easy friction a second'sleeve or socke 37 tormi base of a straight lever 38 e be rt-lever 33 the opposite low 7 lever38 is bent laterall'y'a't ri ht angles at 39fand comprisesian adjustable screw step A projection 41 rigid with the 87 serves as stop for aregulating screw 4-2- mou'nted laterally upon the bent lever s astoregulete the'relativeposition of the two 7 members thus pivotally connected'togetlier (5'5. which, when mounted; 'are'elasticallytied-tosuitable strength formed by assembled elastieblades in suitable number secured :u 45 to the straight lever 38 and pressing upon a block 46 rigid with the bent lever 33.

At the lower part of the straight lever 38 is disposed laterally a rod 47 upon which is oscillatably mounted an arm 18 of which the end opposite the slay is bevelled so as to form an incline 49 upon which acts u roller 50 mounted upon a support 51 rigid with the slay 5.

This arm 48 is normally muinlaiuml in a determined fixed position relatively to the straight lever 38 by means of :1 return spring 52 holding it against the stop -10 of the part 39 bent over it at right angles.

The opposite end of the arm 48 is formed in any suitable manner, as will be described hereinafter for purpos relating to the con trolot' the correct settlng ol' the shuttle in its box.

Thus formed, the mparation of the arms 33 and 18 of the rocking lever when udjustd by means of the screw 42, remains uni'arying for determined ollorts, but this separation can nevertheless be varied automatically by increasing the apertures by virtue of the elastic mounting of the pivotal point by the sleeves til, 37 and the bearing spring under abnormal forces produced by a detective operation or by any accidental external cause or further by reduction of the aperture by the lifting of the arm 48 when the shuttle is badly positioned.

For this purpose when the shuttle is not in the correct position it must of necessity occupy for changing the cop and in order to prevent the mechanism from operating under these defective conditions the control arm oscillatably mounted upon a pivot rigid with the bed is constantly maintained in the control position by a spring Upon this arm 25 is pivotally mounted at o la link the opposite end of which comprises-1e roller 56 running in a notch 57 of suitable profile forming an incline and formed at the end of th! arm l8 opposite to that comprising the bevel 49.

Upon the link is formed a slideway 58 in which slides a pin or roller 59 secured laterally upon the vertical lever 38, the profile the slideway 58 being such as to produce when the control arm 25 is pushed back by the shuttle when in an incorrect position the lowering of the link 55 and consequently by the roller 50 running upon the incline 57, the lifting of the arm 48, the incline or bevel 49 of which thus moved out of contact with the roller 50 of the support '51 secured to the slay 5.

Upon the control arm 25 is secured a vhook 60 provided for the purpose of holding position of rest, against the vertical support 2, the arm 48 with the incline 49 being, in this way, also held in the position of rest out of the path of the roller 50 of the slay during the normal position of the loom. In this improved arrangement, formed described above, the mechanism operates in the following manner when a cop has to be changed.

Taking into consideration that the main members shown in full lines in Figure 1 are in the positions they occupy at the comnicncemcnt of the operation it is easily understood that, under the action of the arm 8 oil the teeler or of the weft stop mo tion controlling the cable of the oscillating lever 28 the magazine 4, having been disengaged has swung under the action of its spring 26 towards the slay with which it comes. into contact towards the middle of its iiirvard stroke by means of its end 4: and by means of its connecting blade 22 and the hook 23.

At the same time as the vpush of the slay compels the magazine and its leader to swing forwards the roller 50, rigid with the slay, rolls-gradually by contact upon the incline as of the arm lS'WlllCh, as it cannot yield on account oi its stop mounting upon the vertical lever 38 produces, as

shown in dot and dash lines, the progressive oscillation oi ,the said lever 38 and consequently the gradual advancc ol' the bent iua gradal manner upon the roller 36 of the loader block 10,,produces the gradual descent of the latter and consequently that of the shoe 14 upon the full cop 16, which has made to replace gradually and surely hout impact, exhausted cop 17 by expelling it in a vertical direction the operation being terminated at the exact moment when the slay reaches the end of its for ward travel.

i l/ hen the slay recoils the oscillating magazine 4:, which had been brought into its position of rest parallel to the vertical support 2 again oscillates under the action of its tension spring 26' accompanying the lutcly complete manner in view of the fact,

that the duration of this contact is thus e'll'ccted di'lring the period which lasts appro iinactely for the last half vof the forward .3; Q l e of the slay and the first half of its backward travel.

lever 38, too incline 35 of which, by pressing panied movement of the magazine when the slay recoils in combination with the contact by rolling of the rollers 36, upon the inclines 35, 49 of the rocking lever the operations are effected gradually Without impact, without sound and. also in loading-the rest parallel to the vertical support 2 against its stop pad 31 is ellected by the control 30 acting upon the lever 28 provided with the locking bolt 27 the effect of this is to reduce, by means of the hook the recoil of the control arm 21 which through themedium oi? the link and of its roller 56 upon the incline 5 of which brings the arm 48 into the inoperative position, as shown in dotted lines.

In the case when, at the moment of changing, the shuttle is not in the correct position in its box, the detector arm 25 by advancing at the same time as the magazine swings towards the slay, meets the shuttle and on this account is pushed back, the effect of which is to cause, by means of the link 55 slotted at 58 and its roller 56 acting upon the incline 57, the arm 48 to lift above he track of roller 50 of the slay 5.

This improved automatic cop changing device according to the invention may, on account of its very construction, not be ap plicable to all types of looms, on account of their special construction In order to remove this disadvantage modifications ofthe loader controlling mcclr anism, by swii'iginglever with elastic pivotal mounting, are provided, based upon the same principle of construction and illustrated in 2 and 3. i i i i In the first form the U is formed by two arms 61 and 62 with inclines adapted to come into cont-act with the roller of the slay and that of the loader block.

Thesetwo arms 61 and 62 are pivotally' mounted at-tixed points 63 and 6 upon the support 2 and made rigid with each other by means of an elastic cross stay pivotally mounted at its outlet 65 and formed by two parts 66 and 67 sliding one in the other or one upon the other, with an elastic connection by means of tension spring 68 of strength chosen so that it will only yield and permit the separation of the arm 81 and in the event ofan abnormal effort of rcsistance in changing thc cop, theeifoct of which is to prevent defects or accidents.

With this device of modified construction, the movement for changing the cop is of.-

i A i i tested under the, same conditions according lvloreovcr, by virtue again oi this accom:

to the principle ofeonipression envisaged.

ing its forward travel into its position of i 'vice shown in Fig. 1. '70 operates in the ordinary way, by co-op- For the case of a bad stoppage of the V shuttle in the box, an arm 69 actuated by the control arm makes the whole arrange- .ment of the'two arms 61 and 62 rise above the rollers 36 and 50. In the second constructional modification the two arms 0 and 71-are arranged in the form of an angle piece with a double elastic pivotal mounting similar to that of the de- The upper branch crating with the 'roller "36 of the loader block, but the vertical arm 71 no longer cooperates with the-roller 50 of the slay 5, but

directly with thelever 8 keyed upon the operating bar 9. of the weftstop motion or ofcthe feeler, by means of a roller 72 acting upon its bevel in order to cause the upper branch 70 to be'lowered, a notch or groove 73 provided upon the vertical arm 71, receiving the roller 72 and holding it fixed when the arm 70 comeslinto contact with its bevel upon the roller 36 of the loaded block which it causes to operate. f

In'the case of an abnormal effort, the elastic pivotal joint enters into action by pre-- venting all possible inconveniences, the ar rang'ement taking up again its normal position after the change as a result of the lowering of the arm 8.

a cation, as shown in Fig. 4;, the control arm 25 I 1-. A control mechanism is connected by its link to a small lever 74 oscillating about a fixed point? 5 and comprising-the roller '56 at its lower end, rolling upon the incline 57 of the arm 48 of the swinging lever with elastic pivotal connection already described.

What I claim is:

of the loader, in an automatic vertical copchanging mechanism comprising a vertical cop magazine osci-llatably suspended adjacent the path of movementof a slay of a loom, resilient means i tending tomove said magazine in one direction, a loader carried by ,said magazine, releasable locking means forv holding the magazine in an inoperative position against the tension of said spring, means to release said locking means operable by the bar of V the weft stop mechanism of the loom to per- 'mit said magazine to swing into the path of movement of the slay of the loom, a

- loader mechanismfcarr-iedby said magazine, said loader. mechanism comprising 'a reciprocating,memben a roller mounted on said memberpmeans operable by the movement of saidjsla'y to move said reciprocating meme ber comprising amember 'pivotally mounted to be swung by the movement of the slay to a position to engage the roller on said reciprocating member, a cam surface on said pivoted member, whereby the reciprocating member is progressively moved to eject a cop.

2. In a control mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for operating the reciprocating member of the loader comprises a lever formed in two parts, an upper bent part with a bevelled end forming an incline acting gradually upon said roller mounted on said loader, a shaft for said part, a vertical part mounted on said shaft, the lower end of said vertical part comprising an angularly extending portion, an adjustn'ient screw on said angular portion, an elastic pivotal connection arrangement holding together the two parts comprising a pressure leaf spring secured upon the vertical part and pressing against the bent part, means to adjust the relative position of the two parts against the tension of the spring, a second lever pivoted to the end of the vertical part of said first mentioned lever, resilient means elastically holding said second lever against the stop screw of the angular part, said second lever having a bevel forming an incline upon which the slay of the loom acts to cum said second named lever to move the first mentioned lever to operative position with relation to the loader.

3. In a control mechanism as claimed in claim 1 and in combination therewith of means to render the loader operating mechanism inoperative in case the shuttle is not in proper position to receive the cop.

4.-In a control mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for operating the reciprocating member of the loader comprises a lever formed in two parts, an upper bent part with a bevelled end forming an incline acting gradually upon said roller mounted on said loader, a shaft for said part, a vertical )art mounted onsaid shaft, the lower end 0 said vertical part comprising an angnlarly extending portion, an adjustment screw on said angular portion, an

elastic pivotal connection arrangement holding together the two parts comprising a pressure leaf spring secured upon the vertical part and pressing against the bent part, means to adjust the relative position of the two parts against the tension of the spring, a second lever pivoted to the end of the vertical part of said first mentioned lever, resilient means elastically holding said second lever against the stop screw of the angular part, said second lever having a bevel forming an incline upon which the slay of the loom acts to cum said second named lever to move the first mentioned lever to operative position with relation to the inoperative in case the shuttle is not in prop er position to receive the top comprising an extension on said second lever provided with a cam surface and means for pivoting said second lever to a position out of operative engagement with the slay comprising a movable link having a roller engaging said cam surface on said second lever and means to operate said link in accordance with the position of said shuttle.

5. In a control mechanism as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for operating the reciprocating member of said loader comprises two members pivoted to move in a vertical plane, a cross member connecting 15 said tvvo parts, one of said members having a beveled end to engage the roller on the loader, the other oi said'members having a beveled end to engage the slay of the loom in its movement, said cross member con- 20 JEAN LAFORET. 

